


Decisions

by Tim (boywonder)



Category: Tales of Symphonia
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-05-31
Updated: 2007-05-31
Packaged: 2017-10-03 21:02:34
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,636
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22193
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/boywonder/pseuds/Tim
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Set post-game, long before the sequel was even dreamed up. I'm not too thrilled with how I wrote Regal here, but that's just too bad. I still like the story plenty, so hopefully other people will, too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Decisions

# Decisions

Regal Bryant looked up as the door opened and immediately frowned. He had _not_ been expecting anyone, and Zelos Wilder was about the last person he wanted to see right now. He'd been dealing with a lot of business lately, and Zelos, well....Zelos was helpful in his own way, but he wasn't exactly good for business.

Regal sat up and gave Zelos the most patronizing look he could muster. "Can I help you, Chosen?" he asked, cordially.

Zelos laughed and brushed a loose strand of hair out of his eyes. "Oh, come _on_, haven't we all moved on past this Chosen crap?" he asked, with all of his usual tact.

Regal raised an eyebrow at him. He sat back in his chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He was _not_ in a mood to deal with this today, but he knew that Zelos had never really been one to take a hint. Hopefully, he'd just say whatever he had to say and get out. That was the best possible outcome, as far as Regal was concerned.

"Do you _want_ something, Zelos?" he asked, monotone.

Zelos tilted his head at the older man, arms crossed, considering. After a moment, he let his arms fall to his sides and stalked over to Regal. He didn't bother standing on the opposite side of the desk. He was the _Chosen of Tethe'alla_, after all - a title he hated, but used to his advantage whenever possible, even after telling the older man they were all past it.

Regal's eyebrows came together as he frowned. "Zelos..." he began, thinking of warning the redhead that this was _his_ office and he was a _very_ busy man, and Zelos' status held no sway. But Zelos didn't give him the chance.

The redhead leaned down and pressed his lips against Regal's, figuring that he didn't have anything to lose in the situation.

Regal's eyes actually went wide for a moment. Knowing Zelos, this was all he had come here for - but it was still a shock. He hadn't been expecting something so..._forward_.

His hand came up and twisted in the redhead's hair. He pulled him back, though not _too_ roughly, and stared into his too-blue eyes.

"Just who do you think you are, Zelos Wilder?" he asked, his voice low.

Zelos opened his mouth to say something that was _undoubtedly_ uncalled for, but Regal decided that he wasn't going to let him. He wasn't going put up with any of the young man's cocky attitude. He jerked Zelos back down to him, letting their mouths meet again, before he had a chance to speak.

Zelos smiled around the kiss for a minute before relaxing into it. He felt Regal's fingers let go of his hair, thankfully, and their tongues met. There was no struggle for control between them. Zelos had come in here with his usual king-of-the-world attitude, but he'd judged Regal pretty well and let him have the control.

Regal pushed Zelos away too soon and shook his head. "This is ludicrous," he said.

"Why?"

Regal _stared_ at him. He wondered if Zelos actually ever thought before he did anything. He could only think of one instance where Zelos had proven that he had any type of real thought process at all - and he'd almost lost their trust _entirely_ by doing it.

"Do you think that there are absolutely _no_ consequences for the actions you take?" he asked, slightly incredulous.

"How can there be consequences if I'm not doing anything wrong?" Zelos countered.

Regal was unimpressed. "What do you _want_, Zelos?" he asked, more insistent this time.

Zelos stood up all the way and shrugged. "Well, _I_ thought I was pretty obvious. My intentions not clear enough for ya? I mean, there's not much else I can do. You want me to get on me knees and beg for it?"

He was obviously teasing, but Regal felt heat rush through him at the last sentence. He crossed his arms and leveled his gaze at the other man.

"Possibly."

Zelos' mouth actually fell open, _just_ slightly. For once, he'd been caught off guard. He certainly hadn't been expecting _that_ answer.

He regained his composure a little too quickly and shut his mouth again, smiling as easily as he ever did. "Well, I wasn't really _prepared_ for that, but I'm sure I can arrange _something_..."

Regal stood up quicker than even Zelos could anticipate. He was _inches_ away from the redhead now. He reached out and grabbed Zelos' face, jerking his chin up so their eyes met.

"You think you can just do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it, don't you?" he asked. There was a dark tone to his voice.

Zelos shrugged, appearing nonplussed. "Well, I _can_ do whatever I want whenever I want to," he said. His tone was just a _little_ defiant, and Regal couldn't help but feel his blood start to boil at it.

His hand tightened on the younger man's face. "Not _anything_ you want, Zelos. You cannot simply waltz into _my company_ unannounced and solicit me. What makes you think I would allow such misconduct?" He kept his tone even, disinterested.

Zelos kind of smiled. "Well, you can tell me to get out. I'll go if that's what you _really_ want."

Regal's eyes narrowed _just_ slightly. He leaned close enough to whisper in Zelos' ear, "You do not run the world, Zelos Wilder. Nor do you have the slightest idea of what I _want_."

Zelos finally had enough, and jerked away. Regal let him. "Well, fine, then I'll leave. Teach me to try and be _friendly_," he said.

Before he could turn fully away and storm off, Regal's hand was on his face again, tighter than it had been before. His voice was the same when he spoke, but Zelos could read something in it that most people would have overlooked.

"Did I tell you that you could leave?"

_Bingo._ Zelos had known from the first time they met - the first time he had guessed who Regal really was - that the older man wasn't the type to put up with games or nonsense. People all over Tethe'alla would bend over backwards or stand on their heads just because Zelos said so. They judged him on his pretty face and his stupid title of Chosen, not on his abilities or his real personality. But Regal....he was different. He wasn't going to do him any favors because of a stupid crystal attached to his body. He wasn't going to let him do whatever he wanted just because he was _Zelos Wilder_. To Zelos, who had just lived life as it came and never been truly happy, it was almost _thrilling_.

"You made it pretty damn clear," he said.

"Don't play games with me, Zelos. You're not as dumb as you act."

Zelos wondered if that was a compliment or an insult. He decided he was better off not knowing and ignored it altogether.

"You said I didn't know what you want. So might as well take off until I figure it out, huh?" he said, though he really had no intention of leaving _now_.

This time when Regal's hand tightened, it actually hurt just a little. Zelos had a high threshold for pain in battle because he healed quickly, but this was slightly different.

"Watch it, would you?" he said, annoyed.

"No," Regal replied, simply. He moved to let their lips meet again, only loosening his grip when his tongue was deep in the redhead's mouth. His arms moved around Zelos, but it wasn't as much an _embrace_ as a manner of control. He steered the redhead backwards until his legs were against the desk, forcing him into a semi-seated position.

Regal finally moved away from the kiss, but Zelos reached up and pulled him back down to it. There hadn't been a power struggle before - but there was one now. Zelos had never been especially good at being obedient.

Regal's hand twisted in Zelos' hair again almost immediately and pulled him away, rougher than last time.

Zelos glared up at him. "And you ask me who I think _I_ am!?"

Regal's eyes hardened as he looked down into Zelos'. "This is my office, Zelos. Don't think even for one moment that I care what you have to say or what your opinion is."

Zelos stared at him and Regal let him go and backed up a step. Their eyes stayed locked for a full minute before either of them spoke.

"You can go lock the door and come back here, or you can leave of your own accord," Regal stated, as if it were the simplest thing in the world. "But be prepared to live with your decisions."

The words cut Zelos just as deep as they were intended to, and he narrowed his eyes at the older man.

_I should just walk out,_ he thought, pushing himself back up to a standing position.

He stalked past Regal and walked back around the desk to the door, all smooth attitude and playboy walk. His hand lingered on the ornately carved door handle, however.

_Be prepared to live with your decisions._

He squeezed his eyes shut against the words echoing in his mind. He was hearing them in a far more accusatory manner than Regal had said them. He had done only what he could, only what he felt he _needed_ to. Like he'd said, he only worked for the winning side. He'd been on their side all along, really - it just wasn't always clear, even to him. But they might not have succeeded if he hadn't done it, and while it was true that even Lloyd had been so mad at him he couldn't stand it, did he really _regret_ it? It was hard to say.

"I don't have all day, Zelos," Regal said from behind him.

Zelos' hand moved from the knob. He turned the bolt above it and walked back over to the desk, leaving almost all of his rich kid attitude behind.

He stood in front of Regal, and Regal nodded towards the desk. Zelos raised an eyebrow at him and opened his mouth, but he caught himself and said nothing. He slid back onto the desk, not in any especially big hurry, and leaned back on his arms at little, supporting his weight with his wrists.

Regal moved to stand in front of him, but he didn't stop at merely standing there. He _did_ have work to get done today when all this was over, after all. He moved between Zelos' legs and leaned over him. He stared down at the redhead for a full minute before he moved his hand up again, tilting Zelos' chin up.

"I don't care who you are, Zelos," he said, softly. "Your title means less now than it did before, to _everyone_. And to _me_, it doesn't mean a thing."

Zelos felt goosebumps crawl across his skin for reasons he could never have enough thought about trying to explain.

Regal leaned closer, all but speaking against the younger man's mouth. "You came here for something I'm prepared to give you, but on my terms and not yours. Is that clear?"

"Crystal," Zelos responded, hoping the irony wasn't entirely lost.

It wasn't, but Regal wasn't exactly going to give him the satisfaction of knowing that. He mouth closed over Zelos' once more, and his arms slid around him until his hands were on the desk, forcing Zelos back on his elbows and into a much more precarious position.

Regal let one hand slide down Zelos' arm. He noticed that the younger man wasn't wearing his usual gloves and sighed inwardly at how presumptuous Zelos really _was_. His attitude had always been hard to put up with, but some things were just more intolerable than others, in the end.

He decided to let it go as he moved away from the redhead's mouth and moved down to his neck. He didn't bother being gentle. Zelos had once said that he didn't bruise very easily, even with his pale skin, so why worry about it?

Zelos' breath caught in his throat and he brought one arm up to wrap around Regal. His eyes slid closed and he let himself enjoy it.

Regal's hand moved back up Zelos' arm and across his chest, avoiding the place where the Crystal had been on purpose. He moved and undid the clasps on Zelos' jacket that that were actually fastened and let his hand slide inside, running across the thin fabric of the shirt that he was wearing underneath.

Zelos made a noise as Regal's fingertips moved _so_ close to his skin. His breath caught again as the older man's hand brushed across his nipple, already hard underneath the fabric.

Regal didn't miss the reaction and let his hand linger there, teasing more than anything else.

"Do you know how maddening it is to look at you?" he whispered into Zelos' ear.

"W...what?" Zelos asked. He had no idea why it would be maddening just to _look_ at him. Unless.... "Hey, you're not still ticked at me, are ya?"

Regal's frustration at how irritatingly naive Zelos was being was expressed only in the roughness of his touch, and then only for a split second.

Zelos bit down on his lip to keep from making any real noise, but he still had no idea what the older man was talking about.

"It's always been maddening to look at you. Your pretty face, your easy smile. The way you walk, as if you're king of the known world."

"Well, what about the unknown world?" Zelos asked, unable to resist.

Regal's fingers pinched the redhead's nipple harder this time, making him gasp audibly. He didn't bother telling Zelos to watch his attitude. He could save that for a little bit later.

He didn't otherwise acknowledge the statement. Instead, he continued, "...maddening watching the way you talk to women. Do you even really want them, Zelos?"

"Well, sure," Zelos said, easily.

Regal pulled away and looked into his eyes. "Really," he said.

Zelos didn't answer him.

Regal finally moved his hand again, sliding it down and resting it just above the waistband of the redhead's pants. He moved back to his ear again. "You don't know the effect you have on people, do you?"

Zelos opened his mouth, but shut it again. Well, _sure_, he knew. He'd have to be _really_ stupid to not know. But he had the feeling that Regal was getting at something. He'd never known the older man to say anything unless he felt it was actually worth saying. But this....what was he supposed to make of it?

Regal accepted his silence and finally said, "You don't know what it's like to be a man and to look at you."

Zelos pulled away and tilted his head at Regal. "You mean you thought I only slept with women," he said, carefully. Well, carefully for _him_.

Regal didn't answer him. He didn't feel the need to.

Zelos kind of smiled. "Well, I've been judged wrong before," he said, not caring if the joke was in poor taste or not.

"I suppose that's true," Regal told him, icily, and stood up. Zelos started to protest, but Regal spoke before he could.

"Take your clothes off," Regal said. It was a demand, to be sure, but his tone was still as even as ever.

Zelos _stared_ at him, astounded.

Regal crossed his arms. "I don't have all day."

Zelos shook his head, still kind of shocked, but he stood up and started undressing. He pulled his jacket off and let it fall onto the floor, figuring he'd just get it when they were done.

Regal cleared his throat and Zelos looked up at him, one eyebrow raised.

"Don't leave your clothes all over my floor," he said, "Fold them up, at the very least."

Zelos made a face and crossed his arms, as well. "Look, I'm not going to--"

"You're going to do whatever I tell you you're going to do," Regal interrupted, smoothly.

"Or _what_?" Zelos challenged.

Regal leveled his gaze at Zelos. "Push me and find out."

Zelos was, admittedly, put slightly off guard by the way Regal's tone managed to stay so _even_. He was the king of nonchalance, sure, but he at least had a temper. He couldn't tell at all what the older man was thinking - or how serious he was. He'd never really known Regal to be the kind to make jokes of this nature, or idle threats, however.

He stood there for a minute before sighing and picking his jacket up. He folded it and set it on the chair Regal had been sitting in. He pulled his shirt off, taking the headband he was wearing with it. His hair fell over his shoulders and down his back again in waves of red, contrasting against his skin in a way that his clothes did not.

Regal watched him, his face expressionless, hiding the way his blood was racing. He had years and years of practicing self-control, thankfully, but the words he had spoken were true. Being a man looking at Zelos in a normal setting was frustrating in a million ways, though not all of them could be classified as "unpleasant". Zelos didn't make a big show of sleeping with men, like he did with women, so it was impossible to tell what he really wanted. But with the younger man standing here in his office mostly naked, the frustration was of an entirely pleasant nature - one he could endure for at least a _little_ longer.

The younger man removed his boots and set them next to the chair, pulling off his socks and tucking them inside, then took off his belt and set it with them, though not gently enough for the sword not to clatter just a _little_ on the floor. Regal frowned inwardly, but he supposed there was only so much one could _really_ expect of Zelos, and let it go.

Regal had half been expecting Zelos to hesitate at his pants, but there seemed to be no hesitation or sign of stopping in Zelos' movements. Good. That meant less words he'd have to waste. He watched as Zelos' hands undid the ties at the top of his pants and he slid them down, folding them as quickly as he could and tossing them on top of his shirt. It was good enough.

Zelos felt Regal's eyes move over him, and he felt _slight_ embarrassment at the fact that he was the only one with no clothes on.

Regal closed the short distance between them and wrapped his arms around Zelos, pulling their bodies as close as they were going to get with Regal's clothing still between them. His hands moved under Zelos' hair and down his smooth skin.

Their mouths met again, and Zelos' arms came up and wrapped around the older man as they did so. Regal moved his back so he was sitting on the desk once again, and Zelos didn't fight him or protest. He shivered a little at the feeling of the cool, polished wood under his bare skin, but that was all.

Regal let one of his hand move away from Zelos and used it to undo his own pants, which had become _far_ too tight for his liking, especially in the past few minutes. He pulled away from the kiss and told Zelos, "That's not where I want your mouth."

He stood up straight and felt Zelos' hands slide down his sides with no signs of hesitation or protest and move to the front of his pants. He rested his own hands on Zelos' shoulders as the redhead reached inside his pants and wrapped his hand around his erection.

He had been _planning_ on watching Zelos suck his cock, but when he felt how hot the younger man's mouth was, he couldn't seem to keep his eyes open. Zelos, for his part, wasn't exactly _new_ at this, and he figured that if he was actually going to bother to follow orders, he was going to do it _well_.

His mouth covered the head of Regal's cock and he sucked on it, lightly at first, then a little harder. He teased that way for a minute, then moved to take more of it in his mouth. He couldn't actually take all of it at once - not right away, at least - but he managed to do pretty well. He took as much as he could, letting his throat muscles tighten a little around the head as it slid almost too deep. He heard Regal's breathing become a little ragged and moved faster for a little while before slowing again. Regal would have none of _that_, however, and wrapped one hand in Zelos' hair again, this time using it mostly as leverage while he all but fucked the younger man's mouth. Zelos moaned softly around Regal's cock and his hands tightened a little where they were resting on Regal's hips.

Regal pulled away before he could come and pulled Zelos up so that he was standing again.

"I wasn't done," Zelos breathed.

"Neither was I," Regal said, and pushed Zelos so that he turned around, facing the desk. He moved Zelos' hair out of the way and spoke into his ear again, "Don't make me tell you what I want," he said, almost as if it was a warning.

Zelos might have had to be told some other time, but he was too hard at that point to care. He wasn't really one for shame, and even if he was, it was hard to ignore how much he _wanted_ this - every last bit of it. He moved to bend over the desk.

He heard rustling behind him and looked over his shoulder. Regal was _finally_ taking off his clothes (and folding them, Zelos noted). He set them on top of Zelos' clothes on the chair and moved to rummage in a desk drawer. While he did so, he let one hand run down Zelos' back and over the curve of his ass. He found whatever it was he had been looking for and moved into place behind the redhead.

He leaned over, pushing Zelos' hair out of the way so it wouldn't get caught between their bodies, and told Zelos, "If you get my desk all messy, I will be very annoyed."

Zelos glared over his shoulder at him. Was he seriously telling him he wasn't allowed to _come_!?

"Well, then I guess you better let me lay the other way," he said, not bothering to hide his annoyance.

"When I'm ready, I will," Regal responded. Zelos did not miss the implication of this and couldn't tell whether it was making him angry or just making him want it worse. Maybe a little of both.

He heard the lid to something open and looked again. It was probably a lotion bottle or something like that. It looked like it was. He had figured that lubricating oil wasn't really something Regal kept in his office. He just didn't seem like the type to have something like that laying around.

Regal spread what he knew was too much lotion over his erection and leaned closer to Zelos again.

"The walls are thick," he said, "so no one will hear a sound that comes from this room."

He didn't bother using his hands first. While he hadn't really been sure until now that Zelos slept with men, he was convinced from his actions that he wasn't a virgin. And if he was, this was a stupid way to go about it for his first time.

_Be prepared to live with your decisions._

He pushed his cock up against the redhead's entrance and felt Zelos tense under him.

"This will hurt less if you relax," he said. He waited only another moment before he pushed inside of the younger man, however, and Zelos didn't have much of a _chance_ to react.

Zelos cried out into the crook of his arm, unprepared for the sudden intrusion. He hadn't been expecting it all at _once_ like that, and it actually _hurt_. Regal wasn't exactly _small_.

Regal was nice enough to wait, letting Zelos' body adjust, for almost two full minutes before he began to move. He didn't bother waiting again after that. He moved, hard and deep, making sure that every thrust pushed as far in as he could go.

Zelos' hips moved to match the pace as soon as the pain dulled into pleasure. He kept his face buried in his arm until Regal moved his arm away.

"I told you that no one will hear," the older man said, gruffly, and began to move harder, faster.

Zelos had never been one for being silent during sex, and it showed. He moved with Regal as best as he could, finally unable to keep up with the quickening pace. It was too much, it was too good, he was too close....

"I...can't..." he said, feeling his body tightening as he got dangerously close to reaching climax. He hadn't forgotten what Regal had said about the desk, but he wasn't really in a mindset to care....

And then Regal pulled out entirely.

"Roll over," he said, his voice ragged.

Hearing the older man's voice _finally_ change like that left Zelos with no words to speak. He did exactly as he was told, pushing himself up enough to roll over.

Regal wasted no time pushing back inside the redhead's body. He let his arms wrap around Zelos as they moved, pulling him up closer to him so that he was almost supporting his weight more than the desk was, the pace picking up almost immediately. Their bodies pressed tightly against each other, and it didn't take long at all before the friction and the feeling of Regal moving like that inside him became too much for Zelos. His body tensed again, even tighter, as he came, crying out into Regal's neck. Regal took a little longer, but not too much. He had plenty of self-control, true, but now was not the time for it.

They stayed like that for a few moments, catching their breaths, before Regal finally pulled out again and stood up. He found a small towel in a drawer and cleaned up before dropping it on Zelos, who still hadn't moved yet. He pulled his clothes back on as Zelos cleaned up, a little slower than he had.

Zelos finally stood up and pulled his clothes back on, as well. He put the headband on last, checking a mirror on one side of the room to make sure it looked as good as it had when he walked in and adjusted his hair for a minute. Finally satisfied with his appearance, he turned back to look at Regal.

Regal didn't say anything. He pulled Zelos close and kissed him, roughly, one last time. He moved away and straightened his shirt and jacket before sitting back down in his chair.

Zelos didn't have anything to say, for once, so he decided he'd just leave on that note. He walked to the door and unlocked it.

"Zelos."

He looked back over his shoulder, one eyebrow up. "Yeah?"

"I do not believe in one night stands."

Zelos grinned, unable to help it. "Didn't think you did."

Regal folded his arms on the desk. "So long as we're clear."

Zelos nodded. "We are," he said, then turned and walked out the door, making sure to let it close all the way behind him.

A small smile danced across Regal's mouth as he gathered the files he'd been looking at and went back to work.


End file.
